When Butch Jones took the head coaching job at Tennessee in 2012, he knew that there was a massive rebuilding project that would have to take place before the Vols were relevant again.
That’s why slogans like “Brick By Brick” were born.
Jones, knowing the potential that Tennessee possesses, chose to embrace the rebuilding of Tennessee’s roster when it came to recruiting.
Instead of throwing some spackle on a roster and trying to pass it off to recruits as a team on the brink of big things, Jones chose to use the depleted roster as a selling point.
That’s what a salesman does — he takes what he has, whether it be a lot or a little, and he makes you think that you must absolutely have it.
In order to be a good college football coach, you must be a good salesman. Otherwise you’ll be left with a roster that looks like the Vols’ did in 2013.
Jones convinced some of the top recruits in the nation in 2014 and 2015 that they didn’t have a choice but to be part of Tennessee’s rebirth. He took a perceived weakness and turned it into a selling point.
Landing players like Josh Malone, Jalen Hurd and Derek Barnett when your program is coming off four straight losing seasons is nothing short of incredible.
Getting guys like Kahlil McKenzie, Shy Tuttle and Alvin Kamara after going 7-6 is just as impressive.
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Jones will of course have to change his pitch once the Vols start winning, but don’t worry about that. Anyone can recruit players to a winning program that plays in front of 102,455 fans on Saturdays.
The important thing to remember is that the foundation of Tennessee football is back in place. A program once in ruins is now shining again and no one could be happier about that than perhaps the greatest Vol of them all — Peyton Manning.
Manning, who was recently in Knoxville for Tennessee’s spring game, complimented Jones on the formation of the Vols’ roster.
Peyton Manning told Butch Jones when he was in for the spring game that he was starting to see legit "Sunday bodies" again on Vols' roster.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) May 4, 2015
This past weekend the 2015 NFL Draft came to a conclusion without a single Vol being drafted.
That shows you much the talent dropped on Tennessee’s roster in recent years.
But that won’t happen again anytime soon, thanks to those “NFL bodies” that Peyton referenced.
Here’s a quick rundown of UT players we think could be playing in the NFL in the next couple of years
- Jalen Hurd
- Alvin Kamara
- Marquez North
- Derek Barnett
- Jalen Reeves-Maybin
- Cam Sutton
- Curt Maggitt
- Jashon Robertson
And that’s just to name a couple.
Tennessee’s roster still isn’t where Butch Jones wants it to be. There are still depth issues and the Vols still need a deep threat wide receiver.
But it’s nowhere close to what it looked like just two years ago.
Vol fans better buckle up.
The playing field is finally level and Tennessee is just waiting to explode.
A sleeping giant has been awakened on Rocky Top. The rest of the SEC better watch their backs.